For renters weighing a home purchase in the U.S.
Rent vs buy calculator
Type in your rent, the home you are looking at and what you assume about prices and returns. The calculator follows both paths month by month and shows where each one leaves you. It does not tell you which one to choose.
Calculate for free- No account
- No preset assumptions
- No agent will call
Cindrus is a calculation tool, not a financial advisor. We give no personal advice and do not sell homes or loans.
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The result is a calculation on your figures. It is not a guaranteed saving or an offer.
The home's value after selling costs, minus the loan still owed, plus anything invested in months when owning cost less than renting.
The down payment and closing costs invested from the start, plus anything invested in months when renting cost less than owning.
Owning includes principal and interest, property tax, insurance, HOA dues, maintenance and PMI.
Wealth on each path, year by year
Tax effects are left out. A mortgage interest or property tax deduction only matters if you itemize, and that depends on your whole tax return.
Home prices, rents and returns are assumptions you choose. The calculator does not predict any of them.
For illustrative purposes only. Not a loan offer or commitment to lend. Cindrus is not a lender, mortgage broker or loan originator, we pass no information to lenders, and no lender pays us.
This compares two scenarios built from your assumptions. It is not a recommendation to rent or to buy, and it is not a loan offer.
Data used: the figures and assumptions you entered. The rate and costs you can actually obtain may differ.
Your next step.
Take the result with you.
Free. No account.
- Write down the figures you used: you find them under «Understand the number».
- Ask what it costs in total, not only what the payment will be.
- Ask whether the rate is fixed and what can change it.
- Ask for the offer in writing, so you can compare it calmly.
- Ask what is not included in the figure.
Ready to talk to the bank?
Your figures and the right questions, on one page.
- Costs and rate
- Fees and remaining balance
- The assumptions behind the figure
Follow your loan.
Your loan and your calculations, in one place.
- Your calculations saved in one place
- Your financial overview
The account is free.
The calculator is free without an account. Not personal advice.
Your bank conversation
Ask the bank about these six things.
Based on your calculation. Not personal advice.
Your assumptions in, two paths out
Describe the rental
Today's rent and how much you expect it to rise each year.
Describe the purchase
Price, down payment, rate, closing costs, the yearly bills of owning, what the home might be worth later and what selling would cost.
Choose a horizon
The number of years and the return you assume on money not tied up in a house. The calculator follows both paths month by month.
What the comparison leaves to you
Every field below changes the outcome, and none of them is filled in for you. A small change in one can move the result a long way, so try a few values.
- How fast rent rises
- How the home's value changes, up or down
- The rate on your loan
- What a seller pays to sell
- What the money would earn if you kept renting
- How many years you stay
Why is renting versus buying hard to compare?
Rent is a cost you see each month. Owning mixes costs you see, like the mortgage payment and the tax bill, with money that builds up in the house and comes back only when you sell, minus what selling costs.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics handles this in its price index by treating most of an owner's housing cost as the implicit rent the owner would have to pay to rent the same home. The calculator takes a different route: it follows the cash on both paths and compares what each household holds at the end.
Are taxes included?
No. Mortgage interest, property tax deductions and the federal exclusion on gains from selling a main home depend on your tax situation. The guide on the home sale exclusion describes the IRS rule; for your own case, a tax professional can tell you how it applies.
Other words for the same thing
Rent vs buy calculator · rent or buy calculator · renting versus owning · buy vs rent. They all ask how the two paths compare over time.
No thumb on the scale
Empty fields by design
We do not pick a growth rate or a return for you. The answer is only as good as your inputs, and the page says so.
Nothing to gain from your choice
We are not a landlord, an agent or a lender, and no one pays us when you sign a lease or a mortgage.
Why does the renting path include investments?
Because the money a buyer puts into a down payment and closing costs does not disappear for a renter. The calculator assumes the renter invests it, along with any month when renting costs less. Leave the return at zero if you would keep that money in cash.
Does the calculator include tax deductions?
No. Whether a deduction for mortgage interest or property tax changes anything depends on whether you itemize and on the rest of your return. A tax advisor can tell you how it applies to you.
Which mortgage rate do I enter?
The rate in a Loan Estimate if you have one, or a rate you want to test. The calculator does not fill in a market rate. Running it with a higher and a lower rate shows how much the result depends on it.
Can I keep a scenario?
This site stores nothing. If you are saving toward a home, a free Cindrus account can hold your savings, investments and debts in one overview in US dollars.
The comparison is free.
If you want one place for your cash, loans and other assets, a Cindrus account is free. The pricing page lists the paid plans and marks what works only in Denmark.
View pricing →Test your own assumptions.
Change one field at a time and watch the difference move. An account is free and needs no payment card.